Last of the Summer Wine

Duanington

Nice one D, onwards and upwards - its a strong run, in the middle of a strong phase, box ticked and more to come. SB has already stated above, you're a good bit away from being at peak racing sharpness and there are a few things to keep in mind here;

1 - the route, not easy

2 - Post COVID, only one real steady tester\workout since then.

3- Hill phase leaving you a little leggy (I can vouch for this, I certainly felt it at the end of some tough weeks of hills) - although, you're not that far into doing hill sessions so I'd be a little reluctant to point at this.

4 - a bit of everything....

Given that you were flagging at the end, I'd be inclined to think you're still a little off where you were pre-COVID, endurance wise but that'll bring you back nicely now.

Onwards !

demfad

Good effort in the race.

If left to my own devices I do my mini tapers by feel, then way over taper them.

Just noticed the mileage fell suddenly and a lot after Tuesday and you didn't get strides in since then.

Think that might have been the cause of some of the flatness.

Natural tendency is to over taper, that's what I do, but have changed recently to really planning and executing the taper well. It is an area where things can go a little wrong.

Anyway, having a run you feel was a little below par on a tough course that was after all quite close to PB is vindication of the aerobic approach you've taken. You are clearly very strong and in a good poistion.

Dubh Geannain

Aw. I was waiting for the big twist where "Grey" turned out to be a 35 yo runner.

Feeling flat while running on a hilly course but still clocking a 1:35. Sounds like you're in pretty good shape to me. Well run.

Murph_D

Week of 6 June

Mostly recovery

Mon 6 Jun

40 mins recovery.

The morning after the race before. Very creaky and hungover few miles around the UCC area (the last time I tried to come in here, on the same bank holiday weekend a few years ago, they wouldn’t let me in). Included a couple of laps of the Mardyke track. Some lovely running spots by the Lee, it has to be said.

Tue 7 Jun

Legs still sore. Took the day off.

Wed 8 Jun

61 mins easy out to St. Anne’s. The concert setup there looks like it’s more about selling beer than letting people have a good view of the stage. Feeling a bit less tired today.

Thu 9 Jun

60 mins with 30 at sub-threshold.

I had designs on a longer session but the HR was telling me that this wasn’t a good idea, so kept it to 30 mins.

Fri 10 Jun

63 mins easy / strides

Out the now standard route, seafront, St Anne’s, Howth Rd - its become the default one hour run. I’d had a stressful morning, interviewing for a job I’m not sure I want, so it was good to get out eventually.

Sat 11 Jun

St. Anne’s again! 47 mins easy - late for rendezvous but eventually found C and D en route. Coffee. 

Sun 12 Jun

LR 2 hours 11 mins

Out to UCD and a lap of the campus, only getting lost a couple of times. Love the trails here, so well laid out through the trees. A UCD parkrun would be nice. Good to see the progress on the new running track also. 

• This week: 71k (44m) - 401 mins
• This month: 108 (67)
• This year: 1,542 (959)

 

Murph_D

Week of 13 June

Mon 13 Jun

62 mins easy with 10 x 20s strides.

St. Anne’s loop after work. 20 seconds can feel quite long. 

Tue 14 Jun

4 x long hills

In Belfast overnight to do some research. Long day. Took the bike on the train - it’s a great way to do travel and Belfast is a good cycling city with segregated bike paths all along the Lagan. Considered leaving the session til I got home but tomorrow would be a tiring day too. Did a quick google and found some suggestions for hills, and on the way up the Ormeau Road I found a perfect hill up to the Belvoir golf club. A steeper grade than Strava suggests, I think. Not as long as the hill that was on the plan but it had to do. Thought I was making up for this with an extra rep but then DD told me how long the Corkscrew really is. Still, got the HRR up to 94%, which probably means I could have gone harder. Definitely felt I could have done another one, and the last one was the quickest. Probably averaged about 1:42 per rep.

Wed 15 Jun

Near sleepless night with noisy street life. Up with the larks for an easy hour around Queens and Ormeau Park. Too early for the Botanic Garden but at least a couple of the park gates were open. Nice park. 

Thu 16 Jun

58 mins easy.

That Strava one year popup reminded me I’d gone through 1,000 miles this day last year. Still about 17 short this year which isn’t bad with the forced two-week break in April. Headed up to Albert College via DCU. Muggy night for it.

• This week: 40k (25m)
• This month: 148 (92)
• This year: 1,582 (983)

Murph_D

Fri 17 Jun

113 mins with 90 @ steady 

Out to the Phoenix Park from the office. No HRM so all by feel today - very humid afternoon and I struggled to hit anything to write home about pace-wise. Just another one checked off - hopefully the effort was right.

Sat 18 Jun

11 mins easy. Volunteering at parkrun and just about squeezed in a couple of kms beforehand. On finish token duty today - haven’t done this role for quite a while and good to reacquaint myself with the line of happy, bonked parkrunners. On fire today in terms of coordinating timer and tokens. Only one minor adjustment required!

Sun 19 Jun

LR 127 mins inc. Sanctuary Run 2022 @ steady

Took part in this friendly event at the National Sports Campus. The place was looking magnificent. Got in an hour of a long run around the cross country course, then the 5.3k event, then a couple of cooldown runs to bring the total up over the two hours and eight hours for the week. 1,000th mile of the year ticked off a few days later than last year.

• This week: 86k (53m) - 485 mins
• This month: 194 (121)
• This year: 1,628 (1,012)

 

Murph_D

Week of 20 June

Last few weeks of the ‘hill transition’ phase, before 12 weeks of sharpening. I have to say this schedule feels quite different to anything I’ve done before - the mileage is about the same as I’ve been doing the past couple of years, but the structure of the week is quite different, with the Friday steady MLR especially feeling quite late in the week, which loads a lot of mileage/time on feet into the Fri-Sun period. But I’m enjoying it - consolidating the time on feet at eight hours a week from here forward will be challenging enough.

Mon 20 Jun

66 mins easy with 10 x 20s strides.

The standard loop out through St. Anne’s loop after work. Mingling with concert crowds near Fairview Park at the end. Did the strides in the middle, mostly on the main Avenue in St. Anne’s, slightly downhill but with the headwind. Definitely spices up the run a lot. 

Tue 21 Jun

Hill Pyramid: 2 x (10/20/30/40/30/21/10 secs) 

Having missed the Howth ‘corkscrew’ sessions the past two weeks due to (i) Cork HM and (ii) travel, I was going to sub one of them in for tonight’s session but DD advised sticking to the plan. Ever the sage, and who am I to argue? Found an ideal hill, up through Charlemont from the Griffith Ave gates - continuous climb that’s more than long enough for the longest rep (40s), unlike the nearby Sion Hill I used a few weeks ago. 20 mins warmup, then off we went. The 10s version is so short it gives you a false sense of hope, then by the end of the 20s you’re beginning to realise what 40 is going to feel like. The hill was busy enough with walkers and kids on bikes and cars emerging from the GAA pitches at the Marino institute. One on one of the longer reps I found myself racing a car up the hill as the driver struggled with his gears. 40s is a bit of a lungbuster but the prospect of coming down the ladder is very motivational, then when you’re going back up again at least you know what to expect. Focused on running hard, but smoothly with form and control. At the end I felt great, and could have done a few more for sure. Very gentle cooldown however - I’m feeling a tiny stiffness at the back of the right ankle that’s hopefully not going to go anywhere.  

• This week: 21k (13m)
• This month: 215 (134)
• This year: 1,649 (1,025)

MrMacPhisto

If you are running 'off peak', the Malahide Road up from Griffith Avenue towards Donnycarney is a nice wee hill. With a bit of caution towards cyclists, I have used the nice tarmac of the road/bike lane, but the pavement is pretty good too. I have used it for 400m reps in the past. That being said it was during Covid times and the traffic was probably significantly lighter. The only traffic you may encounter is the Fire Brigade and Nursing home entrances.

Swashbuckler

Whats the recovery for those hill reps i.e. duration and walk/jog/run fast down the hill?

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119235572#Comment_119235572

Yes, considered that one alright - it's essentially the same hill, just a bit to the East - I thought it would be a bit too busy for the reasons you mention, and it's narrow around the bus stop area. Would definitely use it later or earlier though. Great to have a good selection of hills so close by as I live in Fairview.

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119235704#Comment_119235704

Good point, that should have been mentioned alright - in general the brief (as far as I interpret anyway) is to be as fully recovered as possible so as to be able to concentrate on form/control. Slow jog down is what I favoured, walking the first few steps after the longer reps. The result was what felt like a fairly consistent pace, although it's not obvious from Garmin/Strava which struggles to catch up on the shorter reps.

MisterJinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119235905#Comment_119235905

Mobhi Road is a good one as well. The path on the opposite side to Na Fianna is good and wide. Options for anything from 100m to nearly 800m if you start at the junction of Botanic road. The length of Griffith Ave would be a nice warm up 😉

Murph_D

True, I used to curse that hill in my DCU days when I often had to face it at the end of MLRs and sessions. Washerwoman’s as well, while we are in the D9 vicinity. But I stress - these and the above are all essentially the same hill, rising up from the Tolka plains towards the Collins Ave plateau. 😉

MisterJinx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119236109#Comment_119236109

I curse it or washerwomans everytime I come home from a long run, I've no other way of getting home!!

True but I think the D9/D11 end of GA is higher than the other end so there might be some additional pain elevation possible if you are so inclined....

Murph_D

Fri 24 Jun

126 mins with 90 @ steady 

The now regular late-afternoon steady run in the Phoenix Park. I’ve struggled to get a proper handle on these runs since the Covid bout, while still managing to get through them at more for less the right effort levels. I don’t usually wear the supershoes for training sessions but made an exception today, to help my confidence as much as anything else. To be honest I couldn’t feel much difference but sure enough the paces were a little bit perkier than of late. Was also wearing a singlet to help with the air flow on another humid day so that might have helped too. Plus I have to keep reminding myself that we are still in basebuilding mode.

I seem to spot AMK every time I enter the Park these days, and sure enough another sighting today on OS Road.

Sat 25 Jun

48 mins inc. 24 steady.

Pacer day at St. Anne’s where I assumed the usual 24 min slot, clocking 23:59 with pretty even splits. Didn’t have much of a group with me, unfortunately. Maybe people are tiring of my motivational banter. 😜 Have to admit I found the gig a bit more challenging than usual with tired legs from yesterday's long session.

I was chatting to a runner who was jogging comfortably along having raced during the week. Thought she looked sort of familiar - turned out she was an Olympic sailor and Irish flag bearer in the Beijing opening ceremony. The people you meet at St. Anne’s! Another couple of miles afterwards with M followed by the usual coffee. The mrs made her return to St Anne’s after a long break and was delighted to get around in one piece.

Sun 26 Jun

LR 117 mins

Not at my best for this after having some friends over for dinner the previous night. Headed along the coast out to Bayside and rather than turn back into the wind I kept running and went over Howth Head instead, treating myself to a sports drink and the Dart home. Didn’t feel too bad in the end but I took things very handy. 56 miles for the week in 8.5 hours.  

• This week: 90k (56m) - 514 mins
• This month: 284 (176)
• This year: 1,718 (1,068)

Murph_D

Week of 27 June

Two more weeks of hills/steady stuff, then it will be into the next phase. Not quite sure what’s in store but the coach has been concocting a schedule that promises to be tasty.

Mon 27 Jun

Rest. After nineteen days without a rest day it felt like it was time.  

Tue 28 Jun

Hill Pyramid: 2 x (10/20/30/40/30/21/10 secs) 

Repeat of last week’s session, on the same hill off Griffith Avenue. Joined by M and D for this one, which made it easier and harder at the same time - easier because you’re not doing it alone, harder because having others around you, especially faster lads, makes you push it a bit more. We took turns to lead out and the session went by in a flash. Took the recoveries even easier than last week, walk/jog down, making sure to be totally recovered, i.e. HR back down in zone 1, before tackling the next. I felt the pressure on my ‘lead outs’ and probably went at it too hard, accused afterwards of Boy Racer behaviour. Enjoyed this, and more tired than usual afterwards. Short cooldown, 58 mins total for the night.

Wed 29 Jun

50 mins recovery around Marino, Donnycarney, Artane, Drumcondra. Right hamstring slightly tender after last night's activities. Should be fine though.

• This week: 16k (10m)
• This month: 300 (186)
• This year: 1,734 (1,078)

Murph_D

Thu 30 Jun

54 mins @ recovery

Met up with a friend for a few easy miles around DIT Grangegorman and the Phoenix Park. Good conversation, good times. June total: 308 km (191 mi)

Fri 1 Jul

121 mins with 90 @ steady 

To the Phoenix Park again. Had had a good day at work and this often carries through to feeling good on the run. Jogged out along the quays - like last week, I didn’t try to start the steady stuff before getting there (too much of a headwreck in the congested streets) and did all of the session within the Park. This makes for a much more pleasant run. Figure of 8 around the North perimeter, Chesterfield, South perimeter, Chesterfield again. Speed 2 felt good during the session. All by HR, and didn’t find myself dropping off the effort levels as much as some weeks. Luas back to city centre from Houston (brought my leap card and mask). Genuinely don't understand how some people give out about not being able to get to the park on public transport. You can see the buses and trams from the gates, and hear the commuter and intercity trains. Dublin Bike station too. And that's just the main gate. 🙄

Delighted to see Laineyfrecks get the kind of 5k result she deserves in Leixlip tonight. Talk about nailing it. Regretting offering to run the first half of the Frank Duffy with her now. 😅

• This week: 47k (29m)
• This month: 23 (14)
• This year: 1,765 (1,097)

Got a tasty looking marathon sharpening schedule today from D - looks interesting with plenty of stuff in there that's outside my comfort zone in terms of the type of schedule I've done before. Looking forward to it, starting that phase the week after next when I'll be in Germany for work, just to make things even more interesting. Must start digging out the German heat maps.

Laineyfrecks

Nice run there yesterday D well done, need to get myself back into the park soon.

Thanks a mill, I'm honestly still buzzing this morning, as it was my last attempt I was just hoping I'd get 19:59! Haha Frank Duffy should be good craic considering we are so simular in our times, bring on some healthy competition 😜

Murph_D

I’m thinking @Laineyfrecks is far too eager to go head to head with me. Setting myself up for a clobbering! I have a long history of being handed my ass by talented female boardsies.

Laineyfrecks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119280773#Comment_119280773

Not at all @Murph_D 😜 you are in great nick right now so it's fair game😁

Murph_D

Just getting the excuses in early!

Murph_D

Sat 2 Jul

Ardgillan parkrun @ easy/steady

Up the M1 to tick off another Dublin parkrun. Only about a 30-minute drive. The crew was very relaxed getting started, sportingly waiting for all the regulars to arrive, and it was probably about 9:40 by the time the RD counted us down and about 60 runners took off. I knew what to expect from other people’s experiences of this course. It's definitely one of the tougher parkruns in terms of gradient and surface. Spectacular location though. Tipped around in about 26 mins then jogged back a little bit to join the mrs, therefore having to do that killer uphill finish twice. Fine coffee shop in the castle, although a lot of these places are becoming eye-wateringly expensive. All in all a very pleasant experience, and we had a nice chat with the RD and a couple of the locals, who are a very friendly bunch.

Sun 3 Jul

LR 127 mins

Was a bit worried about this morning’s LR as the right leg in the achilles area has been feeling a bit... not sore really but just noticeable. So I made sure to have my leap card with me in case I had to cut the run short. Needn’t have worried - all was good on this trek out to UCD for a circuit of the trails. Rewarded myself with a monster fry up. #breakfastofchampions.

• This week: 76k (47m) - 447 mins
• This month: 52 (32)
• This year: 1,794 (1,115)

Swashbuckler

What shoes do you wear on those long runs? (Both vanilla and the steady ones)

Murph_D

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119284726#Comment_119284726

Usually Nike Zoom Fly or Saucony Speed. Wore the vaporflys on one of the recent steady ones. Speed 2 for both the steady and the vanilla this week. You know me - I don't think about shoes too much, although I have certainly started using more of them in last two years.

AuldManKing

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119285264#Comment_119285264

Swashbuckler will unfollow you for that comment. "I don't think about shoes too much"

Swashbuckler

Firstly I agree completely with what AMK said 🤣

To be honest there was a motivation for asking. If there's a bit of an injury or annoyance I was thinking why not just take that little bit extra by wearing one of the higher grade shoes. Might make zero difference with injuries but sometimes even a little mental edge helps these things become less noticeable .. seems like you already are wearing them though.

Murph_D

Yep, I’ve pretty much used some form of carbon or nylon plated shoe for every session since I bought my original Speeds. I do love the Zoom Fly more than any other shoe and would wear it all the time if I could.

The ‘pre-niggle’ seems fine now - if anything I think doing a hard hill session last week wearing a pair of adidas SL20 might have contributed to the temporary discomfort. The one session not done wearing the above. Or just a coincidence more likely.

Murph_D

Week of 4 July

Final week of the ‘hill transition’ phase. Will be in Donegal for a good bit of it.

Mon 4 Jul

Rest. The weather was dry after the long drive from Dublin so cross-trained with a strimmer instead. Had to be done if we were to get in the front door. 

Tue 5 Jul

30 mins MP, 8 x 20 secs hills  

The first run in a long time that was based on an actual pace, which felt a bit odd. I was at the desk all day and not in great humour starting out after a kind of frustrating day, working on something I thought I’d finished with several weeks ago. Cool but blustery day up here. Warmed up and started the MP on a downhill section of the familiar local loop. Effort levels felt high which I put down to being a bit tight and unrelaxed. Funny though - afterwards the HR data suggested I was not working as hard as I’d thought for as much of the run as I'd thought, which is interesting in light of the conversation about HR training/racing we’ve been having on the Marathon Improvers Thread - sorry to keep bringing this back up, @Lazare. 😁 Completed the 30 mins at an average pace a second or two over target, which wasn’t bad for the terrain. 5 mins cooldown then the hill repeats on one of the many local inclines. No drama there, quite enjoyed them. Not the most isolated of the local roads - neighbours probably thought I was mad.   

Wed 6 Jul

62 mins easy.

Dropped the boys to the cinema in Bundoran, then had to bring the car to the charger in nearby Ballyshannon (charging infrastructure is thin on the ground around here). With some time to kill, it was the perfect opportunity to revisit a route that I ran with @OOnegative a few years back, along the dam and reservoir above the town.

• This week: 23k (14m)
• This month: 75 (47)
• This year: 1,817 (1,129)

Murph_D

Thu 7 Jul

65 mins @ recovery

The Gilbertstown loop. There is no flat ground around here so a true recovery is never really possible unless you walked half of it, which I didn’t. 

Fri 8 Jul

99 mins with 80 @ steady 

Back in Dublin - decided to go easy on myself after the drive and not choose a taxing route for this week’s ‘steady’ session. Headed out the coast, so staying on the flat. I turned a little too early back into the wind (oddly, the leaves were barely rustling on the bushes but the wind seemed stronger - suggesting I wasn’t in great shape for this one. The schedule is for 80 to 90 mins so I cut this one off at the bare minimum. 

Sat 9 Jul

Griffeen parkrun @ HM pace

Time to cross another Dublin parkrun off the list. Headed out to Lucan and parked at the Supervalu and jogged the 700m to the start area. A smallish group and I found myself picking my way steadily through the field during the first half at a comfortable pace. There was one aul lad who didn’t like being passed and got back on my shoulder before I moved on again. I suppose this set a kind of semi competitive mindset and I decided I’d at least try to hold my position through the second lap which kept the effort levels fairly high. THere’s a bit of a drag towards the end and I felt a bit hosed after it and eased up a little, letting a couple of runners past, including my auld rival, who jogged off the course before the finish loudly telling everyone in earshot ‘sure it’s only a training run’. Exactly. 22:26, so around HM pace in the end.

Sun 10 Jul

LR 145 mins

We dropped the lad to the bus to the Gaeltacht from Clare Hall so I took the opportunity to start the LR from there and head out to Malahide and back via Portmarnock and Baldoyle. This felt nice at first with plenty of shade in Kinsealy and the Malahide Demesne, but once on the coastal path the sun was beating down and I had to pick my way around scores of strollers. Left the coast at Howth Road to get some shade over the final miles. Just slow and easy was the order of the day but the heat had me keeping an eye on the HR. All good. Longest run of the year.

 

• This week: 87k (54m) - 490 mins
• This month: 139 (86)
• This year: 1,881 (1,169)

Into the next phase now from Monday, with some big sessions coming up over the summer.

Swashbuckler

Really enjoying the log. Curious what's to come.